Overview

• Taku Etō resigned on May 21, 2025, after public backlash over his remark about receiving so much gifted rice that he could sell it.
• Etō apologized for his statement, clarifying that he does buy white rice and intended to promote brown rice as a faster-to-market alternative.
• Rice prices in Japan have doubled in the past year, driven by poor harvests from the 2023 heatwave and panic buying after a 2024 earthquake warning.
• The government released 300,000 tonnes of rice from emergency reserves in February to combat the price surge, reflecting broader agricultural challenges.
• Shinjiro Koizumi, the newly appointed agriculture minister, has vowed to prioritize stabilizing rice prices and addressing consumer concerns.